90min

Pep Guardiola Insists Man City Deserve Champions League Spot as Decision Looms

By Tom Gott

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City should be given the chance to play in the Champions League next season
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City should be given the chance to play in the Champions League next season / Michael Regan/Getty Images
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As he waits for the outcome of their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that his side deserve to be playing in the Champions League next season.

City are facing a two-year ban from the Champions League as a result of breaching UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations, but they appealed to CAS and are set to learn the outcome of their plea on Monday morning.

Saturday's 5-0 win over Brighton mathematically ensured that City will finish second in the Premier League, which is enough to earn a spot in Europe under normal circumstances. Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Guardiola was hopeful that his side will get their reward next season.

"Today we achieved one incredible challenge, which is qualification for the Champions League mathematically," he said. "That is the challenge that is the minimum requirement for this club. And these players have done it for the last six or seven years.

"We deserve to be there because we won it on the pitch. Hopefully on Monday UEFA can allow us to play like this team and these players deserve to."

City have cemented their place in second
City have cemented their place in second / Julian Finney/Getty Images

He reiterated his desire to see City in the Champions League during his post-match press conference, in which he stated that he has 'a lot' of hope that CAS will overturn their ban on Monday morning.

"It's the decision, so it's so important, of course it is," he added. "What we have done is win our qualification on the pitch. Nobody can doubt about this.

"In general the level we played today was quite similar all the season and now we are going to wait until Monday when the decision of UEFA will be taken."

With nothing to play for in the Premier League anymore, City's focus will now turn to cup competitions.

They will face Arsenal in the semi-final of the FA Cup on Saturday 18 July, and they are also scheduled to face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Friday 7 August.

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